Bag and funnel support



Feb. 26, 1957 A. FERGUSON 2,783,010

BAG AND FUNNEL SUPPORT Filed March 15-, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR dZZZon Ferguso ATTORNEY Feb. 26, 1957 FERGUSON 2,783,010

BAG AND FUNNEL SUPPORT Filed March 15, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORY.

" rmw ATTORNEY United States, Patent BAG AND FUNNEL SUPPORT Alton Ferguson, Lamontgglowa Application March 15,1954, Serial N 0. 416,251

8 Claims. (Cl. 248-94) This invention relates to a novel support of extremely simple construction for supporting a bag with its open end in an open position for filling and for supporting, a

funnel member with the discharge neck thereof extending into the open end of the bag to facilitate filling of the bag.

More particularly, it is' an aim of'the present invention to provide a support of the afored'escribedl character of extremely simple construction which may be very economically manufactured and sold yet which willv beext'remely efficient and durable in accomplishingits intended result.

Another object of the invention is to provide such a support capable of holding bags of different lengths. and different cross sectional sizes and which support is capable of being extended and retracted, and which may be arranged in a fully retracted position for compact storing.

Another object of the invention is to provide a support composed of a minimum number of, parts and constituted primarily of two lengths of wire one of which, due to its unique shape accomplishes a plurality of results.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter become more fully apparent from the following description of the drawings, illustrating a presently preferred embodiment thereof, and. wherein:

Figure 1 is a rear elevational View showing, the support in an operative position with a bag and funnel applied thereto and supported thereby;

Figure 2 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional. view taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 2-2 of Figure 1;

' Figure 3 is a top plan view of the support with the bag and funnel removed therefrom;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view of the upper portion of the support, taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 4--4 of Figure 2, and

Figure 5 is a cross sectional view through the standard, taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 5-5 of Figure 1.

Referring more specifically to the drawings, the bag and funnel support in its entirety and comprising the invention. is designated generally 7 and includes a base, designated generally 8, a standard, designated generally 9, and a top portion, designated generally 10, and which constitutes a bag and funnel support.

The base 8 preferably assumes the form of a substantially rectangular frame which is adapted to rest on any suitable supporting surface and which is formed from the intermediate portion of a single strand of wire having spaced substantially parallel end portions 11 rising from one side 12 of the base 8 and which forms a part of the standard 9. The upper ends of the standard portions I are connected by two bars 13 the ends of which straddle said upper ends of the standard portions 11- and are secured thereto in any suitable manner as bysoldering'or welding, as indicated at'14. The bars'13 thus com-' bine with the upper ends of the standard portions 11 to form a guide, designated generally 15. The parts 11 and; 13 form the. lower section 16 of the standard 9.

The upper section, designated generally 17, of the standard; 9, is formed primarily by the end portions of a second, strand of wire, the intermediate portion of which forms a major part of the top portion 10 of the support, as will hereinafter be described. Said end portions. of the second strand; forming, the upper standard section 17 are designated 18 and. are disposed substantially parallel and are spaced. apart a distance less than the. spacing between the standard portions 11 and extend slidably through the guide 15 between the bars 13 and are disposed betwcen and substantially against the standard portions 11. Said standard portions 18* have inturned terminals 19 at their lower ends which terminate in abutting engagement with one another and which may be secured together.

A clamp, designated generally 20 and best illustrated in Figure 5, is carried by the lower portions of the strand ends 18 and includes a pair of clamping plates 21 and 22 which engage opposite sides of the strand portions 11 and 18 and which are connected by a bolt 23 which extends through central portions of said plates 21 and 22 above and adjacent the strand terminals 19. The bolt 23 carries a Wing nut 24 which is adapted to be. tightened for clamping the plates 21 and 22. between said nut and the head of. the bolt for drawing the plates into clamp ing engagement with the strand portions 11 and 18 for retaining the. upper standard section 17 in any desired adjusted position relatively to the. lower standard section 16. The clamp plate 21 has turned ends 25 which extend around, the standard portions 11 and which overlie the ends of the plate 22 to prevent turning of the clamp plates 21 and 22 relatively to the standard 9. Additionally, the plate 21 has, an inturned bottom edge 26, as seen in Figure 2, which engages under the strand portions 19 and the ends of which lip or portion 26 are disposed between and spaced from the standard portions 11, as seen in Figure l.

The standard portions 18 at their upper ends terminate in laterally turned substantially horizontal arm portions 27 which are disposed in spaced apart substantially parallel, relationship. to one another and which constitute a part of the top portion 10. The top portion 10 in cludes downwardly inclined spaced portions, 28, forming extensions of the inner ends of the arms 27, which are arcuately bowed, as seen in Figure 2, so as to provide 'concavely arced upper sides; The portions 28 at their lower ends are bent outwardly and back upon themselves and are thereafter reversely bent to provide two substantially coplanar bag engaging hooks 29 which are disposed substantially inv the same plane as the lower ends of the portions 28 which are outwardly offset relatively thereto and which extend therefrom in a direction back, toward the standard 9. As clearly illustrated in Figure 3, the bag engaging books 29 present rounded surfaces andthe outer extremities thereof provide portions 30 which extend from the hooks 29 in a direction away from the standard 9 and which include portions 31, which are disposed remote from the hooks 29 and which are curved inwardly relatively to one another to merge with up.- wardly curved strand portions 32 which are disposed substantially in alignment with and spaced from the portions 28. The portions 32 are spaced apart a distance greater than the spacing between the strand portions 28 and are similarly bowed longitudinally to present concavelyarcedupper sides. The portions 32 are joined at their upper ends by the strand portions 33, forming a crossbar and constituting the intermediate portion of the secondstra'nd It will also be noted that the bag engaging hooks 29 are joined with the lower ends of the strand portions 28 by rounded transversely spaced portions 34 forming supporting elements, as will hereinafter be described.

As seen in Figure 3, the top portion of the support is disposed directly above the base 8 and in nearly a centered position relatively thereto.

The support 7 also includes a resilient bag engaging and supporting hook, designatedgenerally and formed by the intermediate portion of a strand of resilient wire which is bent to provide an elongated loop having a straight uninterrupted outer portion 36 and rounded ends 37. The loop 35 includes an interrupted inner portion formed by the short strand portions 38 extending from the rounded end portions 37 and which terminate in upwardly extending substantially parallel leg portions 39 the upper ends of which are bent outwardly and back upon themselves, relatively to the loop portion 35 and provides downwardly opening bent portions which rest upon the crossbar 33. The terminal portions of the strand by whichthe bag engaging member 35 is formed extend downwardly from the bent portions 40 between the support portions 32 and have end portions 41 which are wrapped around and anchored to said portions 32 for mounting the resilient bag supporting member 35 on the strand parts 32 and 33. The legs 39 normally extend downwardly and outwardly from the cross member 33, as illustrated in dotted lines of Figure 2.

When the support 7 is not in use the nut 24 can be loosened to allow the upper standard section 17 to slide downwardly relatively to the lower standard section to position the clamp 20 adjacent the base 8 and so that the top portion 10 will be located adjacent the level of the guide 15, in which position the support 7 may be conveniently stored.

For use, the standard section 17 is extended upwardly and secured in an extended position by tightening the 1 clamp nut 24 to position the top portion 10 at a desired level above the base 8 depending upon the length of a bag 42 which is to be held by the support for filling, and so that the closed lower end or bottom of the bag will be disposed above the surface on which the base 8 is resting or will rest thereon.

The support 7 is primarily adapted for supporting elongated plastic bags of the type used for holding food items to be placed in freezers. In applying the bag 42 to the support 7, a portion of the open upper end or month 4301? the bag is passed over the yieldable bag engaging member 35, so that the outer portion 36 and rounded end portions 37 thereof will engage the part of the bag 42 adjacent to but beneath and spaced from the bag mouth 43. A portion of the upper part of the bag 42 located remote to the portion thereof engaged by the holding member 35 is then stretched and engaged over the hooks. 29. This lateral movement of the upper part of the bag 42 will cause the parts 36, 37, 38 and 39 of the bag engaging member 35 to yield inwardly toward the support portions 32. The resiliency of the legs 39 will tend to return the parts 36, 37 and said legs to their dotted line positions of Figure 2 thereby laterally stretching the bag beneath its mouth 43. Due to the resiliency of plastic bags, the portion of the bag engaged by the bag holding portions 29, 36 and 37 will be stretched to a larger size than the mouth 43 of the bag to effectively support the bag around the portions 29, 30, 31, 36 and 37, as illustrated in Figures 1 and 2.

The top portion 10 in addition to thus supporting the bag 42 with its mouth in an open position additionally provides a support for a pouring funnel 44 of a conventional type, the discharge neck 45 of which extends downwardly through the opening defined by the top portions 30, 31 and 34., The bowl 46 of the funnel 44 is supported at circumferentially spaced points by engagement with the arcuate portions 28 and either with the areuate portions 32 or with the end portions of the member 35 which are disposed adjacent the wound ends 41. A funnel handle 47 is disposed between the arcuate portion: 28 and the arms 27 to prevent rotation of the funnel relatively to the top portion 10. It will thus be apparent that the discharge neck of the funnel 45 is disposed within the bag 42 so that material can be poured into the funnel for filling the bag. When the bag is filled to a desired level the top portion 43 located adja' cent the standard 9 is displaced toward said standard to cause the bag engaging portions 36 and 37 to yield inwardly toward the support portions 32 so that the bag can be disengaged from the bag engaging hooks 29 and thereafter readily disengaged from the yieldable bag engaging portions 36, 37.

It will be noted that all portions of the support which engage the bag 42 are smooth and rounded so that no sharp edges exist which might cut or tear the bag.

Various modifications and changes are contemplated and may obviously be resorted to, without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as hereinafter defined by the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. A bag and funnel support of the character described comprising a base, a bag and funnel frame member, and a standard formed of slidably connected sections connected to the base and frame member and supporting said frame member substantially directly over said base and at different elevations relatively thereto, said frame member including complementary laterally spaced sides adapted to detachably receive and support a funnel, said sides including complementary parts defining a substantially flat bottom through which the funnel neck depends and upwardly extending arcuately bowed end portions between which the funnel bowl is disposed and supported, laterally spaced bag engaging hooks formed integral with and projecting from one end of said bottom, and a resilient bag engaging member located remote from said bag engaging hooks and connected to and supported by one of the end portions and depending from a top part thereof, said resilient bag engaging member having an outturned bag engaging lower end spring biased away from said bag engaging hooks and adapted to cooperate therewith for engaging transversely spaced portions of a bag near the open mouth of the bag for suspending the bag from said frame member and for supporting the open mouth of the bag around said substantially flat bottom through which the funnel neck depends.

2. A bag and funnel support as in claim 1, said top part of the end portion on which the resilient bag engaging membcr is supported forming a crossbar, said bag engaging member including spaced legs depending from said crossbar and having turned back portions forming bends engaging over said crossbar for supporting the resilient bag engaging member on said end portion, and terminals of said legs being anchored to the laterally spaced parts of said end portion.

3. A bag and funnel support as in claim 2, said outturned lower end of said resilient bag engaging member comprising an elongated loop disposed transversely of said frame member and having an uninterrupted bag engaging outer side and rounded bag engaging ends, and said legs forming upwardly projecting extensions of an interrupted inner side of said elongated loop.

4. A bag and funnel support as in claim 1, said base being formed from a portion of a strand of wire, the end portions of said strand extending upwardly from said base in spaced apart substantially parallel relationship to one another, and bars connecting the terminals of said strand and combining therewith to form a guide, said bars and the upstanding strand ends forming a lower section of the standard.

5. A bag and funnel support as in claim 4, said frame member being formed by the intermediate portion of a second strand of wire said second strand including depending spaced substantially parallel ends extending slidably through said guide and constituting an upper section of said standard, and a manually adjustable clamp carried by said upper standard section and engaging said lower standard section for supporting the upper standard section in different extended positions relatively to the lower standard section.

6. A bag and funnel support as in claim 5, said resilient bag engaging member being formed of a single strand of resilient wire having ends anchored to the spaced parts of said end portion on which said resilient bag engaging member is supported.

7- A bag and funnel support comprising a supporting base formed from a portion of a first strand of wire, a frame member formed from the intermediate portion of a second strand of Wire and shaped to provide a funnel support, end portions of said first and second strands of wire forming slidably connected lower and upper sections, respectively, of a standard, a clamp carried by the lower end of said upper standard section and engaging the lower standard section for maintaining the standard sections in dilferent extended positions, laterally spaced bag engaging hooks forming a part of said funnel support, and a resilient bag engaging member formed from a third strand of resilient wire secured to and supported by another part of said funnel support and having a bag engaging portion spring biased away from said bag engaging hooks and adapted to co operate therewith for engaging and supporting a bag beneath said funnel support and with the mouth of the bag in an open position and disposed around a bottom portion of the funnel support.

8. A bag and funnel support as in claim 7, said funnel support being laterally offset from the standard, said bag engaging member being supported at an outer end of the funnel support and remote from the standard, and said bag engaging hooks being disposed between said bag engaging member and the standard.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 409,946 Feess Aug. 27, 1889 425,709 Schilling Apr. 15, 1890 992,445 Parson May 16, 1911 1,037,265 Kirkpatrick Sept. 3, 1912 2,472,410 Ferrell et al. June 7, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS 303,978 Great Britain of 1929 582,114 Great Britain of 1946 

